Current weather

Dry air, blustery winds make fire hazard

Posted: Monday, April 19, 2010

By Merritt Melancon

The National Weather Service has issued an outdoor fire warning for Athens-Clarke, Barrow, Jackson, Madison, Oconee Oglethorpe and surrounding counties until 8 p.m., urging people to use extreme caution. The extremely dry and windy weather has created conditions where even small fires can get out of control very quickly, according to Lt. Scott Dakin, spokesman for the Barrow County Fire and Emergency Services Department. "We want everyone to be aware of this and to take extra precautions,” Dakin said. “Any type of fire outdoors in this type of atmosphere could get out of control very quickly and cause extensive damage." The last time it rained in the Athens area was April 8, and before that the last substantial rainfall was on March 21. The lack of heavy rain has left the area with a low relative humidity — a measure of the amount of moisture in the air — of between 20 and 25 percent. Dry air paired with winds projected to reach 10 mph can aggravate wildfires, Dakin said. The Northeast Georgia area is expected to receive showers either Tuesday or Tuesday night, which should help mitigate the fire danger.